Portable electronic apparatus such as mobile computers or other handheld computing and communication devices have fragile electronic components such as circuit boards, processors, and liquid crystal display screens. While it is preferable to treat electronic devices with care, this is not possible when the electronic devices must be exposed to hostile environments or used in applications where rough treatment is unavoidable. For example, mobile computing devices are used at ports, warehouses, freezers, factories, delivery vans and airports—working all day in environments like these, mobile computing devices can get dropped, bumped, sprayed, chilled and generally abused.
There are a class of “rugged” portable electronic apparatus that are designed to withstand rough treatment and hostile environments. Some design approaches for a rugged electronic device include using fewer case pieces and reducing seams and seals to reduce penetration of water and dust, integrating antennas into the body of the device, increasing the space between internal components to improve shock and vibration resistance, placing display screens inside a thermoplastic elastomer boot to seal it to the device and to protect it from vibration and shock, and for devices which are operated in extremely cold conditions, including a heating element to minimize condensation. Of course, selecting durable materials also contribute to a more rugged device; the device casing can be made from an combination of ABS and polycarbonate that is resistant to stress cracking, and to surround the device with shock absorbent materials.
Such portable electronic apparatus typically have an electrical interface for receiving power from or exchanging data with a compatible device, such as a charging adapter or a docking cradle. When used in rugged applications it is particularly important that the compatible device be securely fastened to the portable electronic device so that the electrical interfaces of the portable electronic device and compatible device are in sustained and secure contact. Conventional means for connecting a device to a portable electronic device tend to establish a relatively weak physical connection, yet increasing the strength of the physical connection is often impractical because the body of the portable electronic device isn't strong or rigid enough to bear the stronger connection, or tends to wear out prematurely due to the stronger physical connection.